New in the shop: Pepato is a sheep milk cheese with peppercorns in it from Italy. It is aged for about 6 months and is as dry as Piave, but more crumbly. It has what they call “ a mouth feel” (really the texture you feel in your mouth) that is silky. The sweet of [...]
We have just started carrying “Samoon” made right here in our Community Kitchen. A gentleman from Iraq, thirty years a baker, has started making them. He speaks almost no English, but his wonderful joy and energy speaks clearly. He works in the middle of the night, baking in his Tandoor oven, so as we walk [...]
I found a photo of myself at thirteen. I had just moved from North Carolina to Maine, and I didn’t know many people. I was in King Middle School and turning 13, becoming a real teen. My parents let me have a teenage party in the basement. It was 1969, and I thought the [...]
Warning, dog lovers! Yes, you love dogs, and you also love cheese. But I’ve had many stories over the years. The holidays are upon us, and you’re ready to buy that most special cheese. You come to my shop when I’ve stocked up on the most cheese for the year. The selection’s fantastic. You’ve sampled [...]
I have raised my kids alone for the last 10 years. The twins just went off to colleges this fall and I have a very quiet home. I was so excited when they first moved out. I cleaned and cleaned, sometimes with a shovel and black construction bags. Room after room got assaulted. Rugs got [...]
The two of us get out on the water or up to the mountains every weekend if we can. Now that I am an “empty nester” we can take overnight trips. This one was to an island in Casco Bay and my partner capsized. Not his fault, it got pretty rough out there, but we [...]
Cheese is not my profession. It may be my passion, but it’s not what I was trained for. One of my sons is transferring to the University of Maine at Orono. I went there too. I got a degree from Orono after 7 years of undergraduate education at 5 different schools and 3 different majors. [...]
Today is a big day for the Portland Market House. It’s the grand opening of the second floor, with three new shops and seating for 50, but the big news in cheese for us is that we just got a new wheel of Piave into the shop. It’s a favorite of our staff to recommend [...]
I have a customer who came in with a request to solve an unusual problem. You see, if you live in Portland, Maine, you probably live in an old house. I do. He does. This time of year, when the cold settles in for good, the mice move in. For him, it’s an annual event, [...]
My brother has the most outrageous Thanksgiving dinner that I have ever heard of. His wife’s extended family, from both parents, come as well as our family. This year he will be serving 80 people all sitting down at the same time! My brother loves it. My kids love it. He has asked me to [...]
